How To Train Your Psycho
by SyFyDiva
Summary: Tag to Yin 3 in 2D:  AU - Shawn is kidnapped by Yin and used to train his new assistant.  EPISODE SPOILERS.  Shawn Whump.  Rated T  for Violence.  **COMPLETE**
1. Chapter 1

Title: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR PSYCHO

Author: SyFyDiva

Summary: Tag to Yin 3 in 2D - AU: Shawn is kidnapped by Yin and used as a teaching tool for his new assistant. Some Spoilers to the episode so be warned. Major Shawn Whump.

WARNING: This first chapter contains major MAJOR spoilers for the episode, Yin 3 in 2D. Do not read if you do not want to know any details from that episode. After the first chapter, the story goes away from the episode, in a direction of my own making

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Psych or anything related to Psych. That's why this is called fan fiction and not person who owns Psych fiction

This is my first Psych fic…please remember to review

* * *

**SHAWN'S POV**:

I couldn't believe it when my dad showed me the picture. My _Mom_ had taken it? Then I saw that fateful day in my mind, I was riding my bike and I saw a woman unloading groceries from the trunk of her car.

"Oh my god, that was _Yang?_" Everyone turned to stare at me. "This whole thing started three blocks away!" I turned to run out the door. "Gus! Come on!"

I heard my Dad yelling something behind me, telling me to stop, I think, but Gus and I had already run out the front door and I picked up speed, running the three blocks to Grayson Street and that house. I knew that's where Yin had Allison…I could feel it! I couldn't let another person die because of me. Why this bastard had chosen me, I didn't know…couldn't figure out…but I'd be damned if she suffered.

"Shawn!" Gus yelled behind me. "Slow down! Wait for Lassie!"

But I was already in front of the yellow house, already running up the front steps. Wait a minute…I stopped suddenly, too suddenly, and Gus almost knocked me over.

"Gus. The flag is up." The flag on the mailbox. I eyed it warily, half expecting it to be a trap. I put on my brave face and reached for the door, opened it slowly. A crisply folded white piece of paper greeted me. Reaching for it, I looked at Gus and saw his barely contained panic. I knew how he felt.

"To Shawn and the Salesman," I read, "the key is under the mat. Wipe your feet. Come alone or the girl dies." Damn it! I threw the note back into the mailbox and faced Gus.

"Shawn," Gus began. "I don't like this. We have to wait for Lassie."

I sighed. We both knew we couldn't wait for Lassie. A girl's life was at stake.

"Gus, we don't have a choice." was all I said. We both knew we didn't have a choice. The note had said come alone. We were walking into a trap…we could both easily be killed…but we didn't have a choice. We had to save Allison, if we could. I walked up the last couple of steps slowly, my feet suddenly as heavy as cement bricks. The key was indeed under the mat, as the note had promised, and within seconds we were inside the house, closing the door behind us.

The loud CLINK of the locks activating did surprise me and I jumped, feeling even more doomed when I saw how secure they were. We were trapped. The next surprise startled me even more…my _Mom's _voice, sounding panicked, coming from the next room.

_Henry, what is this about? If Shawn's in trouble, you had better tell me…Henry? Henry!_

Gus and I headed quickly in the next room, searching for her. In my mind, I briefly flashed back to that car at the theatre…my mom, with duck tape on her mouth, sitting there with a bomb attached to her. The desperation I had felt at that moment came crashing back in waves, washing over me. I knew…KNEW…that she wasn't here, in this house. But her voice…

Was coming from a tape recorder. "He must have bugged my dad's phone." I said to Gus, relief replacing the desperation. At least she was safe.

"Come on Shawn. Let's find Allison and get the hell out of this house."

I couldn't agree more. We found the stairs leading down into the basement and I led the way, walking slowly down them into the lighted room below. There she was…just like in the video…handcuffed to a pipe in the middle of the room. Her head was down.

"Allison!" I whispered. "Allison, are you alright?"

She looked up quickly, the panic and desperation evident in her puffy eyes as she got quickly to her feet.

"Where is he?" I asked her, my eyes darting around the room. She only shook her head. She didn't know. "We're going to get you out of here. Everything is going to be ok." I tried to reassure her.

And that's when the look on her face changed. From desperation to…what?…creepy and scary…in 2.0 seconds. What the hell? Oh crap…

"Nothing is going to be alright Shawn." She shook her hands and the handcuffs _fell off!_ Shit shit shit!

"I told him that it wouldn't work, that you wouldn't take the bait." Reaching behind her, she pulled out a very real and very lethal looking sawed off shot gun. "But that's why he's the master, and I'm just the apprentice."

Gus gasped behind me, realizing just how bad this was. Allison was with Yin. Allison was crazy as a loon. And we were in some deep shit.

Crazy eyes looked us over as a sadistic smile played across her face.

"How about I give you a tour of the house?

* * *

**GUS'S POV**:

Allison was crazy. Allison was working with Yin. And Shawn and I were in trouble. A lot of trouble.

She stared at Shawn with her dead, merciless eyes and motioned with the shot gun. I could see the loathing in her glare, could feel it coming off her in waves…and every ounce of it was directed at Shawn. She hated him. It was extremely easy to see. The question I couldn't answer was why.

"MOVE" She yelled, "Up the stairs, now!"

Shawn took the lead, heading up the stairs. I was right behind him, the gun poking me in the back. She wasn't being gentle either. I could feel the bruises forming already.

Shawn reached the top of the stairs and stopped, unsure where to go. Hopefully coming up with a plan to get us out of this. Come on Shawn, I willed to him. Think of something!

"To the right, up the stairs!" Allison yelled again, jabbing me harder with the gun. Why was she jabbing me? Shawn was the one who stopped!

"Allison, you don't have to do this." Shawn had found his voice. "You've been brainwashed. Put the gun down and let us go. You can still have a life."

That ticked her off. What was this crazy chick's problem with Shawn, anyway. "Shut UP!" she screamed. Then more quietly, "All I've heard is how smart you are, how _worthy,", _she practically spit out the word 'worthy', obviously not believing it, "how you're his greatest foe! Blah blah blah."

She smirked. I know she was behind me and I couldn't see her face, but I could tell. As Shawn's best friend, I'd become an expert at sensing an unseen smirk.

"But you're pathetic!" Another sharp jab with the gun. "I show you pouty lips, puffy eyes, and you fall for every neo-romantic clique in the book!"

Shawn's shoulders tensed at that remark and I knew it had stung. All he…all we!…had wanted to do was save the girl. I knew he felt responsible for all of this somehow…had felt responsible since crazy Allison had pulled out the picture of him as a boy, standing next to Yang. He couldn't figure out the connection and it was eating away at him. A door at the top of the stairs was our destination and Shawn hesitated, grabbing the door knob, but not going in.

Allison growled. Literally growled! "Get inside!"

Shawn's breathing had picked up a bit, a subtle sign that he was nervous, as he turned the knob and opened the door. Behind the door was an office, very nicely furnished with mahogany furniture. Working with doctors, I had come to recognize the expensive wood. Despite myself, I was impressed. Sadistic serial killer had done well for himself. Shawn came to an abrupt stop in front of me, staring at the shadowy figure behind the desk, his back turned to us. I saw him pale and I was starting to panic again right behind him. This was Yin, the most feared serial killer to come to Santa Barbara ever, who had terrorized us for years. This was him. And we were about to be in the same room as him.

Allison nudged me hard with the gun again, pushing me into Shawn, who was startled out of his stupor. She gestured to the two chairs positioned in front of the desk.

"Sit." We didn't move. "SIT boo-boo, sit!"

Shawn moved slowly toward the chairs, never once taking his eyes off the figure at the desk. He sat down in one and I followed, sitting next to him. Within seconds, Allison had slipped our hands into zip ties and pulled them tight, securing our hands to the arms of the chairs. She must have pulled Shawn's way too tight, eliciting an OW and a dirty look. This was not good. Not good at all.

I looked at Shawn and he glanced at me quickly, then turned his attention back to Yin. Allison was making some sort of speech off to the side of me and I picked up the last bit, something about t-shirts and iron ons available in the lobby…what?"

Then Shawn was speaking, staring at her with a sneering glare. "So when did you know you were crazy?" He asked her and her face hardened.

"Shawn!" I hissed. It was probably not a good idea to piss off the crazy chick with the gun.

"No, I want to know! Was it gradual or did you wake up one morning and see the chimp from Monkey Shine in the mirror?"

Good one Shawn! I almost smiled, despite myself. The boy did have a way with words.

Allison's face hardened even more, her eyes narrowing as she raised the gun. She was going to shoot him….oh crap! she was going to shoot him!

A voice emerged from the figure behind the desk and a chill went down my spine. It was an awful voice. One that nightmares were made of. You could hear the crazy in it, the lilting, almost laughing affections in his words.

"Ms. Cowley, you are dismissed. You may go now."

She was startled by his words, and…disappointed? Oh yeah, she was disappointed all right.

"But I did everything you asked! I was perfect! I deserve this!" Deserved what? To see us die?

"I won't ask you again, Ms. Cowley."

She must have heard something in his voice because she stiffened suddenly, her face going pale. With one last glare at Shawn, she turned and retreated from the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

And in a flourish, Yin was standing in front of us. "First impressions?" he asked.

Shawn grimaced visibly. "Hideous." he offered.

"Archaic." I added. And he was.

He ignored us. "I must apologize on the behalf of my new colleague," he drawled. "Youth." he offered with a shrug. "But you can't dismiss her enthusiasm, which she has in spades." He turned his attention to Shawn. "If only your good friend _Yang_ had shown such enthusiasm." I didn't miss the way he said Yang, almost as if it were a dirty word that was beneath him.

What he was doing now caught my attention. He was opening a box, taking out a vial of awful looking white liquid, and…oh damn, a syringe. I couldn't help myself, I had to know.

"Would you mind telling me what's going in the syringe?" I asked nervously. He ignored me. Kept on talking about something else but I wasn't hearing him. I was staring at the syringe. When he stopped talking, I seized my opportunity to ask again.

"Are you ignoring my question about the syringe on purpose?"

"Gus!" Shawn interrupted suddenly. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, Shawn, I do!" I countered. "I'm very particular about what goes into my body."

"I think it's safe to assume that it's something lethal." he looked at Yin. "Am I right?"

The psycho smiled at Shawn. "A box of Mars bars to you, Shawn." He said with delight. "This is a mixture of my own creation, which I affectionately call The Last Kiss." And he went on describing the ingredients in the vial, but I couldn't hear him anymore. My ears were buzzing loudly and I was on the verge of my first panic attack. This was real. This guy was a nut job. And he was going to kill us.

I said something weird, about whether or not he had only the one needle. Even as the words left my mouth, I knew it was a weird thing to say. Who cares if he only uses one needle, if we were going to die seconds after the injection anyway. Yin looked surprised and Shawn looked offended.

"Really, Gus?"

I felt compelled to defend myself. "I don't know where all you've been, Shawn!"

He smirked while Yin stared at us in disbelief.

"Since when have I been an unclean person?" I had offended him.

I reminded him of a road trip he had once taken, and an almost infamous sticker. Pucker up and blow. The character may have been a cartoon, but knowing Shawn…he looked as if he might say something more, but Yin interrupted.

"Enough! You two are insufferable."

We stopped.

"Only Guster will get the needle. I have something else planned for you, Shawn."

What? And suddenly he was standing over me, rolling up my sleeve. I looked at Shawn, saw the look of desolation that settled on his face. This was it. It was over.

"No." He whispered.

Yin was grabbing the needle. I seized my last moments. "I don't blame you Shawn," I told him, hoping he'd believe me. "I don't blame you." I said it with more emphasis. I didn't want him feeling guilty over this, if he did manage to escape whatever torment Yin had planned for him. "You're my best friend and I don't regret a thing. We got to live out our childhood dream together. I don't blame you." My heart raced off, my breathing coming quickly as the needle poised above my arm. This was it. My big end. For a brief second I wondered if I was the lucky one…knowing Yin, whatever he had planned for Shawn would be horrible. I felt an extreme sadness for him and deep down, I was even a little relieved that I wouldn't have to witness his death at the hands of this madman.

"You kill him and I kill you!" Shawn yelled. "You got that?"

Yin just smirked. We all knew his claim was an empty boast. And in that last final moment we both sprung into action, telling him that he owed us closure, that he owed us a final explanation of why he was doing all of this. That got him. I breathed a small sigh of relief as the needle was taken away from my arm and he went back behind the desk.

"You're both here because you ruined Yang. She noticed the pre-pubescent you, developed an unhealthy crush. Feelings are the enemy. She betrayed me to save your mother. She betrayed my trust and she broke my heart. And for that, I blame you." he looked pointedly at Shawn. "For that, Burton will die. But not you Shawn, not right now. No…you'll watch your best friend die and then we'll be off before the police can save you. I have something special planned for you, my boy."

Shawn stared at him. "Yeah, what's that?" he smirked. "Just kill me too and get it over with."

"Oh, you'll die. But not here. You ruined my last assistant. Turned her against me. And for that, you'll become a teaching tool for my new assistant. She'll train, using you. She'll learn all of my skills, practicing on you. And when she's learned all I have to teach her, she'll kill you."

Oh my god. Even the unflappable Shawn looked stunned by that bit of news. He was going to be a guinea pig for whatever horrors Yin had to teach Allison. Oh my god.

But the needle was back over my arm and this time I knew we couldn't delay any longer.

"You're my best friend, Shawn." I said quickly and I jerked as the needle slid into my arm. Yin depressed the pump and the contents burned into my body. Darkness filled my eyesight as I looked at my best friend. "Goodbye Shawn." My last sight was of the complete look of horror on his face and as I succumbed to the darkness, I heard his agonized yell.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

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To Be Continued:

Author Note: The story is completely written, so I will be posting a new chapter of day or so. The more reviews I get, the quicker a new chapter will be posted


	2. Chapter 2

**SHAWN'S POV**:

I had just watched my best friend die. And a huge part of me died right with him. I couldn't make my eyes leave his face, which looked almost peaceful in death. Like he was simply sleeping.

"Gus?" I whispered, my voice hoarse with grief. "No, Gus. Buddy." I couldn't breath. I struggled with the grief that was overwhelming me. We were going to die as old men, together. That was the plan. And now Gus was dead. Taken from me by a madman in only seconds. And I couldn't save him. Up until the moment his eyes had closed, I had thought I could save him. And I had failed.

"You bastard!" I yelled at Yin, pissed off by the smile still plastered on his hideous face. "I WILL KILL YOU!"

He actually laughed. He had just killed my best friend and he was laughing. "No, my boy, you won't. The fun begins for you now, Shawnee boy. Its time to leave."

Another syringe appeared from a desk drawer…so he DID have more than the one, Gus buddy. You didn't have to worry. Despite myself, tears welled up in my eyes. I blinked them away, not wanting to give Yin the satisfaction of seeing my pain.

I looked at him coldly. "I will kill you. That's a promise."

The door opened and Allison walked in, laughing at Gus's unmoving body. "So did he cry?" She asked Yin. I didn't know if she was referring to me or Gus. Suddenly I was pissed at her obvious delight in seeing Gus dead.

"Time to go, my dear." Yin said to her, bringing the needle closer to my neck. "We want to be gone from here before the police figure out how to get into the house."

I was being taken from here. Away from Gus. Oh god, they were going to take me away from here and my Dad, Jules, and even Lassie wouldn't be able to find me. I started to struggle against my bindings, tried to get my arms free or to move the chair away from the psychopath standing over me. Allison walked the distance from the door to my chair quickly and hit me in the head with the butt of her gun. Pain exploded in my skull as lights flashed in front of my eyes. My head sagged and the needle plunged into my neck, blissfully ending the pain in my head. My eyes clouded, my ears buzzed. I heard Yin yell at Allison, apparently angry at her for the hit to my head. There was a loud slap and she grunted.

I passed out.

* * *

Someone was slapping me in the face.

"One more minute, Mom?" I groaned, trying to open my eyes. My head hurt. My body hurt. I couldn't move my arms or legs. Why couldn't I move my arms or legs? Panic overwhelmed me as I tried to remember where I was, what had happened.

"Wakey wakey, Shawn." A sing song voice called quietly in my ear. "Time to come back to us."

Allison. Oh god, I was with Allison.

And Gus was dead.

He was my best friend and he was dead. I fought back against the despair that fact had caused. To beat these deranged killers, I couldn't let myself think about him right now. I needed to be on top of my game.

And I needed to open my eyes. She slapped my face again, a little harder this time. I couldn't ignore her anymore.

Her face was right above mine and I quickly took notice of the large bruise on her cheek and the split lip.

"Yin give you that?" I asked hoarsely, my throat dry. "That's what you get for messing with me."

Her eyes…those dead eyes…focused on my face. "I'll get to do more than mess with you." Those words gave me the very big creeps. "I will get my time with you, Shawn. And he'll see who the worthy one is." She was whispering into my ear, her breath hot. "You'll beg me to kill you when I'm done. And I promise you…it won't be a quick death and it won't be a painless death."

So Rule Number one…don't piss off the crazy. I found myself wishing I had followed that rule instead of taunting Allison. But in my defense, I had thought I was going to die right along side Gus.

Gus.

I could not believe my best friend was dead.

"Is he awake?" Yin's voice said suddenly, from somewhere behind my head. Allison jumped away from me quickly and answered.

"He just woke up."

"So we can begin."

I struggled against the binds around my arms and legs. I was lying on my back, strapped to a cold wooden table. My eyes darted around the room, taking in every detail, just like my Dad had taught me. I was in a dimly lit room. A basement or cellar. The windows were barred. The room was sparse. Besides the table, there were some hooks and chains staggered around the room. Some hanging from the ceiling. Various awful tools were hanging on the walls all around me.

Next to my head was a cart, almost like a surgical cart, lined with instruments. Scalpels…oh crap!… and needles. And other things I didn't want to think about.

And my shirt was gone. I was lying on a table in a basement, surrounded by crazed killers, and my shirt was gone. I felt like a lab rat.

Yin's face came into view.

"As I said earlier, Shawn, you are responsible for turning Yang against me and as a result, I need a new assistant. Someone to take over from me when I retire from this little game. But, like all youth today, she is impulsive." He looked at the bruise on her face as evidence. "She does things without thinking, without planning. She needs to be taught. And you will assist her."

"As much as I'd love to play tutor," I began, "I'm afraid I have other plans. Perhaps next Thursday would be good for you?"

"You'll learn to keep your comments to yourself, boy." Yin told me. Like that would ever happen. My dad had been trying to teach me that for years.

"Doubtful." Was all I said to Yin.

"Can I hit him now, Master?" Allison asked eagerly. Did she actually just call him master? Okay, that was seriously creepy.

Yin shook his head. "Not yet, my dear student. I have a lecture to give first."

So his plan was to torture me with boredom. I almost groaned. I hated lectures. Rolling my eyes, I turned away from the pair and continued to scan the room. It was starting to lighten up, outside the window. Daylight. I must have been knocked out for about 8 hours. Whatever was in that needle had been some good stuff. And that would mean that the others on the outside, my friends, had had eight hours to search for me. And had obviously not found me yet. Had they found Gus? I hoped that they had…that my dad had found him and had taken good care of him.

Yin slapped me in the head and I turned my attention back to him, glaring.

"You will want to listen to this, Shawn. You will want to know what she will do to you."

"If it's all the same to you, I prefer surprises." I heard myself saying. "Listening to you will probably put me back to sleep. Seriously, as a teacher you'd think you'd have a more engaging voice." Allison hissed in the background, angry at my insolent words to her master.

"You will listen to this." Yin told me again and began speaking to Allison. "Your job…your mission in life, is to instill fear." He dragged out the word 'fear', saying it weird. "The kill is the end. It's what you do leading up to the kill that makes you good."

What? I thought they just killed and that was it. What else were they planning on doing? Shit.

Yin was still talking, walking to stand beside me. I was starting to sweat buckets in the cold basement. "The human body has many pain sensors. You can create pain with only the tiniest of wounds."

"How so, Master?" Allison's eyes were bright with excitement. "Teach me."

"We will start with a small demonstration for now. To get young Mr. Spencer acclimated to his new purpose in life. Please grab a scalpel."

I started to buck against the restraints when he said the word scalpel. Yin just gave me another demeaning look. "Please stay still, Mr. Spencer. We do not want to hurt you too badly this time."

Crap crap crap! "My friends will find me!" I yelled desperately. "You should run now, while you can still get away!"

Yin sighed. "No one will find you. I have taken much care in the planning on this escapade and no one will interrupt us now." He poised his scalpel over my mid section, while Allison eagerly watched. "Please feel free to scream, if you must, my dear boy." He told me. "Allison does love the screaming and no one else will hear you."

He lowered the scalpel.

To be continued…

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**GUS'S POV:**

Someone was slapping me in the face. Gently, but still slapping. Words accompanied the slap, but I couldn't focus on them. My head hurt. My mind was fuzzy. And I was supposed to be dead.

"Guster!" a louder voice shouted. "Open your eyes, Guster!" Weird. That sounded like Lassie.

Another voice, much quieter, was speaking closer to my ear. "Gus, you need to wake up." The voice, female, was saying. I just groaned in response.

"He's coming around!" The loud voice was saying. "Get the medics in here now!" Loud voice sounded pissed off and…..worried. Something was going on and so I worked at prying my eyes open. The light blinded me and I scrunched my eyes shut again, throwing my arm across my face.

"Gus, where's Shawn." The female voice, I could see now it was Juliet, was asking.

Oh my god! Shawn! And Yin! My eyes popped open and I tried to sit up, only to be assaulted by waves of dizziness. My eyes adjusted and I found myself on the floor of Yin's office, surrounded by worried faces…Juliet, Lassiter, Henry Spencer and Chief Vic, to name a few. Shawn's dad was looking especially worried.

"Yin." I groaned. Why wasn't I dead? The Last Kiss serum was lethal…Yin had said so himself. And then I got it. He had been lying. To torment me and to torment Shawn. Who had to watch his best friend die while he was helpless to stop it. Oh my god…

"Where did they go, Gus?" Henry was asking, getting down to face me on the floor. "Where did that nut job take my son?"

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. "I don't know. Yin told us he had plans for him. Shawn ruined Yang and Yin will use him to train his new assistant. He'll be the guinea pig for Allison's training."

Juliet gasped. "Allison? What do you mean, Allison's training?"

"Allison is working with Yin. She's his new Yang." I tried to explain, grabbing Lassie's offered hand to pull myself up off the floor. Whatever had been in that syringe was wearing off quickly. What HAD been in that syringe? "Yin is pissed at Shawn for turning Yang against him. He is going to use Shawn to train Allison…but don't ask me what that means. I have no idea."

Lassie cursed. "They must have escaped from this house somehow…we've searched the whole place and there is no one here."

"We thought you were dead, Gus." Jules said, her eyes brimming with tears. "When we saw you there, in that chair."

"I thought I was dead too." I told her. "And so does Shawn. Yin told us that the syringe contained a lethal poison. I can't believe Shawn had to watch that."

Yang suddenly squealed and ran into the room. "Where is my Shawnee?" She was yelling, looking wildly around the room. "What did my papa do with my Shawn?"

Now that shocked me! Her…what? "Your papa?"

"He took my Shawn." Yang ignored me. "He was angry and he took my Shawn." She was sobbing to herself, making the rest of us uncomfortable, to say the least. Shawn would not be touched by her obvious concern.

Juliet grabbed her arm. "Do you have any idea where Yin would have taken Shawn?"

"No…no no no no no no no." She sang sadly. "Shawnee is dead and is gone gone gone. No more Shawn for me. Dead dead dead."

Henry couldn't take it anymore. "Will you get her out of here!" He yelled.

Lassie agreed. "Guards, take her back to the mental house."

She resisted, suddenly back in control. "No wait! Ow, get off me! I can help you find him. We can save him. There has to be a clue."

We all looked at each other with dread. There could be a clue in this room. But without Shawn, would we be able to find it?

* * *

**SHAWN'S POV**:

I couldn't help it. I screamed. When the scalpel bit into my chest for the first time, I screamed. It just came out. I think it was from the shock of the whole thing. I was awake; I could see him doing it. And it freaked me out. But I only screamed once. When I saw the delighted, almost ecstatic look on Allison's face, I clamped my mouth shut and held the sound in. I was not going to give her the satisfaction of seeing my pain. I screwed my eyes up tight and bucked slightly against my restraints as Yin cut a small pattern into my chest. It seemed like he worked forever. He was quiet, not uttering a word while he cut. Allison was practically giddy beside me. When he finally stopped, he addressed me directly. "Open you eyes, Psychic, and see what I've done.

I shook my head. I didn't want to see it. Which earned me a slap in the face from Yin.

"Ow!" I yelled at him. "Do what you want, but don't think I'm going to watch it." Fingers pried into my eyes, forcing them open. I blinked back tears at the assault as Yin forced my head up to survey his handy work.

I almost threw up right there. Cut into my chest was a Yin-Yang symbol. Blood streamed steadily from the wound, running down my sides. "Your circle is a little more ovally then I would have liked." I told him quietly, unable to resist. Yin only chuckled.

"You will be the perfect training tool for Allison." He told me. "Full of spirit. She will learn to cause pain and break your spirit before she kills you. This will be the perfect ending to my career and a most wonderful beginning to yours, my dear." He said to Allison. She beamed back at him.

"So glad I could help." I told them weakly.

"Now, to continue my lecture."

"Please don't." I begged. I didn't want to listen to his creepy voice for one more second. They both ignored me. It was like I wasn't even there.

"The human body is capable of feeling maximum amounts of pain, with little actual damage done. I'm sure Mr. Spencer was feeling quite uncomfortable while I cut into his flesh, but the actual damage is minimal. Please describe your pain level, Mr. Spencer, so that my student can learn. On a scale of 1 to 10, if you will, please."

This was surreal. He was acting as if I was some sort of lesson plan, willing to assist him in his sadistic lesson.

"Are you kidding me with this? You are a complete and total whack job!" I yelled at him. "You both are!"

"On a scale of 1 to 10 now, please."

"Suck dirt."

His fingers suddenly raked across my chest, digging into the wounds he had just carved into my skin. I bucked against the assault, clenching my teeth to keep from crying out.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, please Mr. Spencer."

My breathing was heavy as I looked up at him. "Zero."

He slapped me in the face, like a misbehaving child. That action pissed me off even more. I would not give in to him. Allison was looking on, wondering what he would do next. Taking it all in.

"Do you remember watching your friend die, Mr. Spencer?" Yin said, suddenly quiet. "Do you remember his face?"

"Shut up!"

"He died because of you. Because he was your friend. If he hadn't known you, he would still be alive right now. How does it feel, knowing your best friend is dead because of you? On a scale of 1 to 10, please."

"I said SHUT UP!" I yelled back at him. "Gus is dead because of you. YOU killed him. Not me."

"Allison, please repeat the maneuver I just completed on Mr. Spencer. Perhaps he will be more forthcoming after that."

Oh crap!

He handed her the scalpel. "And do try to accommodate Mr. Spencer and make your circle less…ovally."

An evil glint had come into her dead eyes, making them seem alive for the first time. She leaned over me, looking for a place to work, her long blond hair tickling my naked chest. I almost giggled, despite my building fear. Or perhaps because of my building fear. She found a place to work and brought the scalpel down, cutting into my skin. I clenched my teeth once more, trying to block out the sensation of my flesh ripping apart. Her cut was less precise than Yin's had been, her incision going deeper. Yin had to stop her once, during the process.

"Too deep, my dear." He admonished. "We want to hurt him, not kill him."

"Hurt, not kill." I ground out between my clenched teeth. And it was definitely hurting.

"There!" Allison exclaimed finally, standing up straight to survey her work. She waited for Yin to inspect her symbol, looking for his approval.

He stared at the depiction in my chest, next to his, for quite some time. Studying it.

"Beautifully done, my dear," he finally said, "and not a bit too ovally. Don't you agree, Mr. Spencer?"

I couldn't breath. I couldn't answer him. I was on the verge of really freaking out. Allison huffed beside me and followed Yin's example, prying my eyes open with her fingers and forcing me to look.

I gasped and gaped at the wounds they had inflicted. Another perfect Yin-Yang symbol was bleeding profusely, more so than Yin's had, the blood running down my side to mix with the older blood. I felt nauseous and breathed deeply, trying to make it pass.

"And so I ask you again, Mr. Spencer. On a scale of 1 to 10, please describe your pain to Ms. Cowley."

I panted as I looked up at him, refusing once again to answer his insane question. Her nails flew out, mimicking his earlier move, raking down my chest. I had been prepared for it this time and had clenched my teeth tightly together when I saw her hand fly out, keeping any sound from escaping. My chest was literally on fire.

"Very good, my dear." Yin approved. "You are a fast learner."

"One final time, Mr. Spencer. Please accommodate us and describe your pain level. Both before and after Allison repeated my action. On a scale of 1 to 10. You don't want your suffering to be meaningless, do you?"

His insufferable voice kept droning on….on a scale of 1 to 10 please, shut up shut up shut up!

"I have reached a 10 level of annoyance from your repeated asking of that insane question!" I spat out, knowing full well that wouldn't satisfy him.

"Very well, Mr. Spencer. We will do this your way. My dear, would you please grab the scalpel and cut off Mr. Spencer's left pinkie finger? I'm sure he doesn't need all ten."

"Wait!" I yelled. "How is that my way?" Allison was grabbing quickly for the scalpel, while I tried in vain to hide the pinkie on my left hand.

"Perhaps you will be willing to answer my question and actively participate in my young apprentice's training, if you have an understanding of how serious I am."

"THREE!" I shouted, eyeing the scalpel. "My pain level is three." I was panting hard, willing Allison to stop. "Three." I said again, quietly, as if to myself.

"That will be all, my dear." Yin told Allison, reaching out to stay her hand. She gave a small cry of frustration and threw the scalpel back onto the tray. I allowed myself a small sigh of relief.

"Down girl." I was able to taunt, but the words held little sarcasm. It was a piss poor attempt at humor on my part, but my chest was hurting and my jaw was aching from clenching it so tightly against the pain.

"Let us adjourn for awhile, my dear." Yin said to Allison. "We'll give Mr. Spencer time to rest before our next lesson." He grinned at me. "It should be most enlightening for Ms. Cowley…alas, you may not find it so enjoyable."

I tried for a sarcastic chuckle, but it came out more of a pathetic groan. "No big shocker there."

"Shocking." Yin said softly, as he left. "How in tune you are. Perhaps you really are psychic."

What did he mean by that?

Allison's breath burned my ear as she leaned over to whisper, "Enjoy your rest Shawn. While you're trying to sleep, guess how many pinkies you'll wake up with." She giggled as she joined Yin upstairs. The door closed behind her, leaving me alone.

No way was I going to sleep any time soon.

* * *

To Be continued:

This is probably the last chapter I'll post today. The next chapter is almost ready...if I get it done today, I'll post it late tonight. Otherwise, it will be tomorrow :)

PLEASE REVIEW!


	4. Chapter 4

**GUS'S POV:**

We searched the entire room. We searched the entire house. We never found a clue. The only evidence that Shawn had been in the house was his empty chair and the cut zip ties that had secured his arms to the chair. Shawn was gone.

Henry wasn't taking it well. Lassiter had sent him home with Shawn's mother. To rest, he had said. How Maggie had finally talked him into leaving, I will never know, but I was grateful that she had. I was tired, I was worried to death and I was silently praising the lord that I was still alive. And able to help find Shawn. But I was frustrated that we couldn't find anything.

We left the house…that horrible house…and headed back to the station, me, Juliet and Lassiter. We were quiet in the car. No one felt like talking. We didn't know where to start. Yang hadn't been much help. She had grown quiet as well, after the second hour of searching the house for something…anything…that would lead us to Shawn. We had asked her about her father's hang outs, his usual haunts. He had none. He had the university and the house. That was all she knew about. She had left quietly with her guards, to head back to her prison. She had cried softly over the loss of her 'Shawnee', who was dead.

Lassiter suddenly hit the steering wall with his palm. Hard. I jumped at the sound, still jumpy from my own experiences with Yin. Juliet just sighed.

"We're missing something!" Lassiter growled. "There is a clue somewhere! Why just take him and not make a game of it. That's not his MO."

"This is his final hurrah." I answered quietly. "He's not going to kill Shawn as a game. He's using him to teach Allison. When he's done, she will kill him. This isn't a game to him."

Juliet's eyes were bright with unshed tears. I couldn't blame her. I felt just as helpless. I didn't know where to turn. We arrived at the station, the building quieter, more subdued then I ever recall seeing it. Of course, everyone knew about Shawn's disappearance. And everyone was just as worried as we were. Chief Vic called us into her office as soon as she spotted us.

"You too, Mr. Guster." She said to me, though I would have barged in without her offer. I was on this case, too. Regardless of what they said. Shawn was my best friend and I refused to let him down. I would save him from that monster.

Chief Vic looked at me. "To start, Mr. Guster, we've analyzed the fluid found in the vial on Yin's desk. It was a very powerful sedative. No traces of poison were found."

I sighed with relief.

"Any leads, Detectives?" Vic was asking. Both detectives shook their heads. We had nothing. "We need something to go on," she told us, "somewhere to begin."

"We don't even know if he's still in the Santa Barbara area." Lassiter said. "We have no way of knowing where they've taken him. He's been missing for over 8 hours now. He could be anywhere."

Juliet gave a small sob, then caught herself. I felt for her…her relationship with Shawn was still a secret to all but me. She couldn't let herself show too much. As it was, Lassiter glanced briefly at her, a look of wondering on his face. He studied her for a moment, then seemed to dismiss her distress as worry for a friend. He turned back to Vic.

"We'll start by researching both Yin and the girl, Allison. Perhaps one of them rented a house, have some property somewhere, something. They have to be somewhere. And somewhere remote, in my opinion."

I agreed. For what Yin had planned, a remote location was a must. I shuddered as I thought about my best friend in their hands. What was he going through right now? Lassiter and Juliet were leaving the Chief's office, yelling at other officers to get them the records of every piece of property in Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas. We were looking for any clue that Yin was tied to any property nearby. I closed my eyes at the shear magnitude of the job facing us. We would need a miracle to find something in time to save Shawn.

_We're coming, Shawn._ I thought to myself. _Just hang on._

_

* * *

**SHAWN'S POV**:_

I was hanging off the ground, by my shoulders. My arms ached, rivaling the pain in my chest from earlier that day. I wasn't even sure how I got into my current state. Allison had returned not long after leaving with Yin, a needle in her hand. With a malicious smile, she had jammed it into my neck, dispensing whatever was in the syringe into my body. Like before, my vision clouded up almost immediately and I had passed out. When I woke up, I was hanging from the ceiling. And I was alone. Out of sheer habit, I scanned the room again, the afternoon light and new vantage point giving me a better view of the room I was in. I could see the table I had been strapped to only hours before, stained by my blood. I grimaced, feeling sick. Until I saw the evidence on the table, I had no idea that I had bled that much. As I saw earlier, the windows were barred. I could see nothing in the room that I could use to escape. Yin had planned this very well.

I heard the sound of the door opening above me and I actually started to panic. I had no idea what those two had planned, but my current state wasn't an indication of fun times ahead. Yin entered first, bidding me a very good afternoon in that creepy voice of his. Allison followed dutifully behind him, carrying a large dry erase board and a red marker. She gave me a creepy smile as she entered and I shuddered. She set the board up on my table and began to draw a crude outline of the human body. At the top of the body, she wrote 'SHAWN'.

Crap.

Yin had disappeared from my line of sight and I found myself twisting slightly, searching for him in the room. I found him in the corner, looking over various instruments on a work bench. He grabbed one…I couldn't see what it was…and returned to stand in front of me.

"Our next lesson," he began, "is electricity and its effects on the human body. Mr. Spencer has graciously volunteered to play the part of the human body for us this morning. Say thank you to Mr. Spencer for his generous act, my dear."

Allison just smirked up at me.

"I don't remember volunteering for anything." I reminded him, my throat dry. What the hell was he up to now?

His attention was on the dry erase board with my name labeled prominently at the top as he began his lecture. "The human body has many spots sensitive to pain. Especially pain brought on by electric current." He took the marker from Allison. "Let's see now…here." He drew an X near the chest. "But that's a tricky area, so near the heart. Too much and you could kill him. Let me see….and here." He drew another X near the feet. I actually found myself listening. I had not been aware of the fact that the feet were so pain sensitive. And I was sure I would get a chance to test his theory first hand. Yin was still pondering over Allison's diagram. "And here…" he said, drawing an X over the poorly drawn figure's groin.

Oh no he didn't!

"What the hell!" I cried out. "No way are you doing anything there!" I was starting to panic, despite my earlier resolve to show no emotion. No one was going near Little Shawn if I could help it! Allison only looked even more interested at the prospect of lighting up my nether regions. Crazy bitch!

"Now Shawn, this is purely for educational purposes. Of course we will have to experiment on your groin. But please remember that this is merely for education and try not to be embarrassed by our attentions there."

"Its not embarrassment I'm worried about! It's just that I'd like to have kids some day and you frying the necessary parts for that action will make it difficult." I flashed briefly back to the mental hospital and Yang announcing to the entire visitation room that I had taken a lover. Finally, as she put it. This would definitely impair me in that area, I was sure. And I didn't want that to happen, even if Yin was planning on killing me when all this was over.

"We'll start with the feet." Yin told Allison. "Soles of the feet, to be precise." He finally showed me the devise in his hand…the one he had retrieved from the corner only moments ago and I cringed. A taser. The bastard had a taser.

"Please go ahead, my dear." He handed Allison the Taser. She licked her lips. She actually licked her lips with anticipation and knelt down near my feet. Rookie. Yin's warning came too late.

I swung my foot out, connecting solidly with her head, sending her flying back into Yin. She went limp, like a rag doll, blood pouring from her broken nose. Yin stepped away from her and allowed her to fall bodily to the ground, where she lay in a heap. He looked pissed, but his anger didn't seem to be directed at me. He was staring down at her.

"Fool!" he spat out in disgust. "Do you listen to nothing I say?"

To me he said, "We will continue the lesson when she wakes. Pity for you, she will not be happy with you when she does."

* * *

To be Continued:

Please Review!


	5. Chapter 5

**SHAWN'S POV**:

I watched her. There was nothing else I could do. Yin had left in a huff hours before and she was still passed out on the floor. He hadn't bothered to fix her nose. It was bent at a grotesque angle, dried blood pasted to her face. My shoulders were on fire. I had to pee. And I was scared shitless about what Allison would do when she woke up. She was the loose cannon. The unreserved, undisciplined one. Ruled entirely by her emotions, completely unpredictable. And I was alone with her in a rapidly darkening basement. I knew it was a dumb move to kick her, but I couldn't help myself. I didn't want her to tase my feet. Hell, I had no idea if Yin was correct, that the soles of the feet are super-sensitive to electric current, but I didn't want to find out. So I kicked her. Call it an act of self preservation gone wrong. She would still use the taser on my feet. And more than likely, on other places of my body that I didn't want to think about. I could still see the badly drawn diagram of the human body, labeled 'Shawn', on the table beside me. And I could still see the X drawn over my groin.

She groaned.

Oh shit, she groaned.

She was stirring. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Without warning, her head popped up and she raked me over with a cold, dead glare. Her broken nose and the dried blood gave her an even more chilling appearance.

"Allison," I began, "Think before you do anything rash."

She stood up, still staring that chilling smile at me. "Yin won't be happy if you do too much damage, remember that. I'm a teaching tool. I'm sure Yin has a lot he wants to teach you." I licked my lips nervously as I watched her.

She grabbed some chains from the floor of the room. Secured them to my ankles with a swift precision, securing the end of the chain to a hook in the floor. I was pretty sure that was the step she had forgotten to complete earlier that afternoon.

She grabbed the taser. Switched it to 'On." Electricity snapped from the devise, making the hairs on my arms stand on end.

She knelt down.

"First lesson. Soles of the feet."

I looked up at the ceiling, willing myself to be anywhere but this rapidly darkening basement, with this extremely delusional and demented girl.

She touched the taser to the sole of my left foot.

* * *

**GUS'S POV:**

We sat at the conference table, pouring over real estate records, searching for a clue to where Shawn could be. We weren't having any luck. It had been a long shot at best. My eyes were heavy from lack of sleep. We'd been at it all day. Shawn had been missing for an entire night and day now…with the end of this day approaching fast…disappeared off the face of the earth with a crazed killer and his equally crazed sidekick. Juliet and Lassiter were showing signs of stress as well, the circles under their eyes evident in the fading light.

It was hopeless. We had no lead. We had absolutely no idea where to even begin looking for him. This real estate idea had been a bust and we were wasting precious time. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer. I stood up with a growl of frustration, startling the other two people in the room.

"This isn't working!" I shouted. "We need to do something else."

"What do you suggest, Guster? Knock on every door and ask them if they have a physic locked up in their basement?"

"I don't know!" I was frustrated. "Go back to the university…check their records…phone records…tax records…I don't know!" I didn't know what to do and it was scaring the crap out of me.

Juliet spoke up. "We could go back to the university…"

"No," I said, a sudden inspiration hitting me. "Its time to talk to Yang again. I have some questions I'd like to ask her."

* * *

**SHAWN'S POV**:

The answer to my earlier question was a resounding HELL YES! Electric current to the soles of the feet hurts like a son of a bitch! I couldn't stop the cries that were ripped from me as she touched that taser to my left foot and held it there for an agonizing minute. During that minute, Yin had decided to return to the basement, to watch his student do her homework. As I panted and squeezed my eyes shut against the onslaught of tears trying to escape, he praised her for remembering to shackle my feet. And he reached over and straightened her nose with a loud pop. She flinched only a little, never taking her eyes off her teacher.

"Thank you, my master." she told him and looked like she meant it.

I rolled my eyes.

"So now, Mr. Spencer, please tell me your pain level after an electric current has been applied to the soles of your feet. On a scale of 1 to 10, you'll remember, please."

"I don't want to do this." I breathed. It was demeaning. It was degrading. I didn't want any part of it.

"You are serving a higher purpose, dear boy." Yin reminded me. "Remember the benefit you are providing Ms. Cowley in her training. 1 to 10, if you please." He took the taser from Allison and flipped the switch on.

I could only sigh. "Four." I told him. It had been a four. A resounding four. No doubt about it. He flipped the taser off and handed it back to Allison.

"The chest," he continued, as if hours hadn't just elapsed since he began his lecture, "is tricky, as I said earlier. Too much near the heart and you can kill him. But the benefits of applying electric current to that position on the body are extremely great, and so you will learn." He approached me and touched my chest with his cold, clammy hands, right between the two Yin-Yang symbols. "Start here. See what he does."

She did. My jaw clamped shut and my body convulsed with the current that shot through my body. A scream ripped from my throat as she followed Yin's instructions, removing the taser and placing it in various locations along my chest. Two seconds here. Another five seconds here. 30 agonizing seconds right on Yin's carving from the night before. Never more than 30 seconds, so as not to cause me irreversible harm, as Yin put it. Remember, I was a teaching tool. And she had not learned every lesson yet.

And neither had I.

I hung limply from the ceiling, my arms numb from holding me up so long. I couldn't feel them anymore and I was grateful for that small miracle. At least they no longer ached. I was sweating so much in that small basement that I was practically dripping, the perspiration chilling me in the damp air of the underground room. I shivered as Yin looked me over.

"A fine job, my student. He appeared to be in quite some pain. On a scale of 1 to 10, please."

Pissed that he was asking that damn question yet again, I said one and allowed my head to fall to my chest. My eyes were closed, I was breathing heavily from the strain and I was close to passing out.

Yin's eyes narrowed and he tsked. "Please be truthful, Mr. Spencer. Based on your behavior during the lesson, a one is not an accurate description of your pain."

I ignored him, keeping my eyes closed, concentrating on breathing in and out.

"Allison, I am disappointed in you. I had expected a better performance. Perhaps you should practice some more. Please draw at least an 8 pain level from our young Mr. Spencer, if you will."

My head flew up and I looked wildly at Allison, who was approaching me once more.

"Eight! It was an eight!" I tried in vain. "Definitely an eight."

She touched the taser to my chest again and held it there for the 30 seconds. Removed it and walked behind me, running it down the length of my back, holding it on the small of my back…leaving it there. I tried to flail away from her, but it was no use. With my feet shackled to the floor, I was effectively trapped. I couldn't hold back any longer and I groaned loudly when she finally moved the taser away.

"Much better," Yin said appreciatively. "He was most assuredly in pain that time. Mr. Spencer? A level please?"

I breathed out a quiet 12 to placate him and hung my head again. I had the mother of all headaches…my chest was killing me…and every muscle in my body was spasming painfully. I just wanted them to go away.

"I'll allow that small breach in your answer, Mr. Spencer, and give Allison a resounding A+ for her work today. I'm impressed that she could get a 12 out of a worthy opponent such as yourself."

"Bravo for her." Was all I said in return.

"But we are not completely done with today's lesson, are we my dear."

Allison shook her head no and eagerly rushed up to stand beside me once again. He was right. There was one more X on that crudely drawn Shawn. Dear god, there was one more X.

"At your leisure." Yin said and I brought my head up to stare at Allison. She was staring back up at me, that awful gleam back in her eye.

She grabbed at the waist of my jeans. Slowly unbuttoned the button…moving deliberately, almost like a lover. Gently lowered the zipper and began to lower my pants, her eyes never leaving my face. I couldn't help but stare down at her, watching with a morbid detachment at her progress.

Gently, gently, she lowered my jeans, until only the thin protection of my boxers remained. My stupid Sponge Bob boxers that Abigail had given me for my birthday earlier that year. I should have known better than to wear those stupid boxers while I was in the middle of hunting a serial killer.

"Allison," I began, "I can tell you right now, the pain level will be a resounding 100. You don't have to do this." There was pleading in my voice, but I didn't care. I just didn't care.

"Oh, but I want to," she responded, "but first I'll do this!" She punched me in the face. My head flung back as blood spurted from my nose and it was at that moment that she thrust the taser into my groin. And held it there. For an eternity.

I screamed. Boy, did I ever scream.

And I was wrong when I had told Allison 100. I had forgotten to add a zero to the end of that number.

* * *

**GUS'S POV**:

I was back in the visitor room of the psych hospital, where Shawn and I had been just days before. I watched the guy play pool without a stick, just like we had that fateful day. I felt alone, without my best friend beside me. I wanted him back.

Yang entered the room, flanked by her guards. There was no chipper wave, no bounce in her step. And, I realized as she sat down, no makeup. This was a very different, very subdued Yang.

"You know why I'm here." I began.

"Shawn's gone." she said quietly. "Daddy got mad at me and he took Shawn. This is all my fault."

I was thinking maybe it was, partly, but I still needed her. "No, its Yin's fault." I assured her. "You were a victim in this too. But we can work together to find him, Yang. I need your help."

She shook her head. "I already told you, I don't know where he is."

"Think!" I yelled, then thought better of it. "Think." I said more quietly. "You've known this man your entire life. He raised you. You have more insight into him than anyone else alive and you are my only hope for getting my best friend back. So think. Where would he take someone, if he didn't want to be found?"

She was grabbing her head, rocking back and forth and mumbling to herself. I wasn't even sure that she had heard me. I watched her for a few more minutes and then admitted defeat. She was long gone. With a huge sigh, I got up from the table, ready to walk out.

Her head popped up suddenly, and she looked at me.

"The cabin." she said.

I slowly sat back down. "What cabin?" I couldn't dare to hope.

"We had a cabin, when I was a kid."

"And?"

"It was secluded. In the woods. Off a dirt road. My father would take me there. Teach me things. We'd experiment on animals. Carve them up. But we haven't been there in years."

I shuddered. But it sounded like the perfect place to take Shawn.

"Where was this cabin?"

"I can't tell you that." Yang said sadly. "I don't remember. It was in the woods, off a dirt road."

"Where, Yang! You have to remember where. For Shawn!" I pleaded. She perked up at the mention of his name.

"There was a sign." she said finally. "With apples on it. Apples for 10 cents each. The apples were red."

I waited for her to continue. She didn't. She got up, had her guards unchain her from the table and was ready to leave.

"That's it?"

"You have everything you need, Burton Guster." Yang told me. "You just have to put it all together."

And she was gone. I stared after her for only a moment before I took out my phone and dialed.

"Juliet, its Gus. I have a lead."

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED:

As always, please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**SHAWN'S POV**:

A shrill scream ripped though the basement, jerking me awake. I looked around wildly. I didn't even remember passing out. The last thing I remembered as the taser going…there…and now someone was screaming somewhere nearby. I was chained to the wall in the corner of the room. My pants were back up, thank god, but my shirt was still missing. Sitting on the cold cement floor, I shivered as another scream shot through the room. My eyes darted around the basement, finally landing on Allison and Yin, hunched over the table where I had been days before. Before them was a wriggling creature of some sort, seemingly in complete agony as they studied it.

It was a rabbit. A white rabbit. Or, it had been white at one time. Its fur was covered in bright, new blood. One leg was off, lying next to the writhing animal on the table.

"You pressed down too hard, Allison." Yin was scolding. "The purpose of the exercise is to learn control. Our intent is to cause this creature pain. Not to mutilate it. Not yet."

Allison looked pouty as she put down the blade. "I apologize Master. I just wanted to try it."

"It will die soon now, Allison." Yin reminded her. "And any further lessons we could have gotten out of this animal are gone. Please remember that when we return to Shawn."

Oh crap.

Her head swung around to me and I could see her hands were covered in the rabbit's blood. She just smirked. She turned back to the rabbit and I found myself testing the chains around my wrists. Maybe I could get out of them, while their attention was focused on the rabbit.

"Rattle those chains one more time, Mr. Spencer, and we'll be forced to visit you again much earlier than planned." Yin's voice floated over to me and I quickly ceased with the chains, pushing myself back further into the corner.

They went back to the rabbit, which had stopped screaming and was laying quietly on the table.

"Let's work on the stab. Here and here are lethal. Here will cause pain, but not kill outright. It's your choice now, Allison. Choose your location."

The knife came down and the rabbit screamed weakly one more time, before flopping lifelessly on the table. Of course she had chosen the lethal location. Yin gave a little shake of his head, a look of disappointment on his face. "Get another rabbit out of the cage, Ms. Cowley. Let's try this again.

* * *

**GUS'S POV**:

By morning, we were ready to search for Shawn. Juliet and Lassiter had a list of every known dirt road in Santa Barbara and surrounding areas. They had a list of registered residences, namely cabins, located on those roads. And they'd had the department artist sketch us a sign…of apples for sale, 10 cents each. Red apples. They were in the process of handing out the lists of dirt roads, giving every available officer a copy of the sketched sign. We were going to fan out, find that sign and find that road. Then we'd find the cabin where Shawn was being held.

Henry Spencer had arrived, ready to help out. He was assigned to ride with another office, we were worried if he found the road himself, he'd go rogue and try to save Shawn himself. Yin was too good for that. To save Shawn, we'd need an army. Not one man.

I was just heading out the door with Juliet and Lassiter when Office McNab entered the building, carrying one of the pictures, his face a mask of confusion.

"Why are we advertising for Martin's Apple Stand?" He asked. "I know their apples are good, but they're kind of out of the way and you can get apples that are just as good a few blocks from here."

We converged on him quickly, Lassie, Juliet and I, surrounding him.

"Martin's Apple Stand?" Lassiter asked him quickly.

"Yeah," McNab shrugged. "I was there last week with the wife. She wanted to take a day trip to the country. We stopped at an apple stand with this same exact sign. Martins Apple Stand. Do you know that they have been selling apples at that same location for over 25 years? And the price is still the same too. Old Farmer Martin joked that he couldn't raise the price because he'd have to buy a new sign."

Juliet grabbed his arm. "What road was it on? Can you take us to it?"

McNab shrugged, trying to think. "Can't really recall the name of the road off hand," he said, "it was a dirt road without a sign."

A dirt road. We had it! Without even realizing what he had done, McNab had given us the information to save Shawn. Dragging him along, we raced out the building and hurried to Lassiter's car. By McNab's estimate, the apple stand was three hours away.

* * *

**SHAWN'S POV**:

While the crazies tortured rabbits, I tried to make myself invisible and ignore the screams of the dying animals. It wasn't easy and I couldn't help but be relieved that it was them and not me. Not me yet, anyway. I tried to block it out and while I did, my thoughts drifted to Gus. Geez, did I miss him. We'd been best friends for just about forever. He was the greatest friend a guy could ask for and he'd been a great partner. Starting Psych with Gus had been the best adventure of my life…the realization of our childhood dream. But it had gotten him killed. I knew what he'd said. That he didn't blame me. But the sad truth was that this had been my fault. Both thirteen years ago, with the fateful meeting with Yang, and because my psychic charade had drawn the attention of Yin. Like it or not, this wouldn't have happened without me.

And I had insisted that we enter that house alone, as the note had said. In my heart, I knew that we had meant well. But I'd been stupid and blind. I'd only wanted to save the girl. Who had turned out to be completely crazy and a trap set for us. If we'd waited for Lassie and the backup, Gus might still be alive. If only I'd known then what I knew now.

I wondered if they'd had a funeral for him yet. I hoped so. I hoped my mom and my dad had gone, to be there because I couldn't. I wondered if they'd given him a formal police funeral, with rows of squad cars, their lights flashing, and a firing squad. Of course, in this case, I think it was called an Honor Guard. Firing Squad sounded cooler, though. I could picture Gus's mom and dad, and his sister, Joy, crying over his body, devastated by his loss. The Gusters were a close family, and this loss would wreck them. I wished I could have been there, to tell them how truly sorry I was that I had let Gus die. I knew Jules and Lassie would go. In that moment, sitting in the corner, listening to the horrible sounds of the rabbits, I'd never felt so alone. I'd been in some close scrapes before, but knowing Gus was out there, looking for me, I always knew it would end up all right. I knew Jules and Lassie would keep looking for me, and I knew they were good at their job, but it wasn't the same confidence I'd always had when Gus was there too. He'd always sold himself short, acting as if I had all the talent for solving cases, but the truth was that I relied on him so completely when solving cases, I was positive I wouldn't be able to do it myself. His knowledge of everything, and I do mean everything, had been invaluable. His wisdom and restraint, paired with my impulsiveness, had been perfect.

But it was over. He was gone and I could only hope that when the time came and Allison was ready, I would join him quickly.

"Mr. Spencer, join us please." Yin suddenly called out.

"How about I don't." I called back. "I'm pretty comfortable here on the floor."

"How about I kick you in the teeth, to stop you from talking!" Allison growled, stalking over to me. Yin, thank goodness, restrained her for the moment.

"Just unshackle him, Ms. Cowley, and bring him to the table."

She did kick me anyway, but she hid it from Yin and it was only a small kick. Then she was dragging me up to my feet and kicking me from behind, towards the table. They'd pushed the dead rabbits off of it, but hadn't bothered to wipe away the blood. The table was disgusting and they wanted me to lay down on it.

"Are you both crazy?" I asked. "Wait; scratch that, of course you are. There is no way I'm getting on that table."

"Do it willingly, Mr. Spencer, and I'll only have her cut you a few times. And nothing will be cut off. Give me more problems, and I can't make that same promise." Yin told me in a quiet voice.

I knew better than to refuse that offer. I climbed slowly onto the table, trying hard to ignore the rabbit blood, and settled on my back. The blood was warm against my skin and for a moment I was almost glad for the heat. The cement floor had been really cold.

"Secure him to the table."

Allison was above me then, hooking my arms and legs into the restraints attached to the table. After listening to the rabbits all morning, getting onto this table was a form of torture in itself. I was scared. Really scared. And I didn't want to make the same sound as the rabbits. Gritting my teeth together, I willed myself to be strong. Yin had said a few cuts. I could handle that. Couldn't I? I'd do this one for Gus. Get through it with some dignity and then they'd leave me alone again for awhile.

I closed my eyes, took myself to another place. That was the beauty of an eidetic memory. I could remember every detail of every experience of my life. I went back to my father's house, to the back yard. I was a boy of about eight. Gus and I were digging for buried treasure in the back yard, playing pirates. It was a sunny morning, the temperature was perfect, and I'd been sure we would find gold. It had been a perfect day.

"Try here, here and here." Yin was saying, touching various parts of my now clammy body. A spot on my upper thigh, but away from the major artery. My shoulder. And my side, away from vital organs. I braced for it.

Allison did the upper thigh first and the knife sunk in deep, to the hilt. My jaw clenched against the pain, I watched in horror as she twisted the blade before removing it. Blood poured from the wound, running down to mix with the rabbits' blood. Before I could recover, she stabbed my shoulder, repeating the same move she'd done with my leg, twisting the knife ever so slightly, so that Yin couldn't see, before removing it slowly. I gasped when she stabbed my side. I really hoped she'd missed something vital, but the pain was so intense, I couldn't breathe. My teeth still clenched, I managed to resist screaming, resist sounding like those rabbits, but I couldn't restrain the groan that slipped out when she removed the knife from my side. Holy crap did that hurt.

"Mr. Spencer?" Yin was saying through the haze. "Pain level, if you please?"

"Why are we still doing this?" I panted. "Of course that was a ten. A major fucking ten."

"Good Allison. Now, stick your finger into the wound on his thigh, really feel the inside of his body. Feel the muscle, the tissue, feel what makes him tick."

Oh god…

She was quick and she jabbed her finger into the cut on my thigh, really feeling around the wound. That act hurt more than the actual stabbing had. My jaw hurt from clenching it so tightly against crying out and my eyes were starting to water from the intense pain she was causing with that one, dainty finger. Finally she removed it and brought it to her lips, every so slowly, licking my blood from the tip. She giggled as bile rose up in my throat. She was completely crazy, no doubt about it.

Yin couldn't have been more proud. "Yes! Yes," he exclaimed, "taste him, feel him. Get to know him. Know that you hold his life in your hands. Everything about him is under your control. Own his fear and own his body. Make him realize that he ceases to exist for anything but your whims."

"I realized that before she played pokey pokey with the knife wound." I assured him. "That was so not necessary."

"Tsk, Shawn, remember, this is all for education."

Yeah, so he kept saying. If I got out of this, I'd become a lobbyist for lab animals everywhere. No creature should be subjected to such inhumane treatment…said the lab animal strapped to the bloody table.

"Now let's explore the pain caused by burning."

I stilled. "What? No, lets not. No burning." Pleading had once seemed beneath me, but we were long past that point. "I got on the table willingly, just like you said. You said only a few cuts!"

"We did a few cuts, Mr. Spencer." Yin gave me an almost confused look. "Now we're going to move on to burning. I don't have much more time to teach Allison all she needs to know. Your friends will find you eventually, and we have to wrap this up before then. So Allison, we'll use something small to start. How about a cigar? I do love the marks a good Cuban can make on a man."

* * *

**GUS'S POV**:

Lights and sirens blaring, we raced through the streets of Santa Barbra. We'd managed to get Henry before we left and with McNab acting as guide, we were on our way to the apple stand. Three hours way. I could almost hear Shawn's sarcastic comments about McNab taking his wife to an apple stand three hours away and I smiled despite myself. Henry was barking at Lassiter to drive faster and the detective obliged him, picking up speed quickly. No one in the car told him to slow down. Juliet was handling the situation well, but I knew she was beyond worried. I could tell she really loved him and I was glad they'd finally realized it for themselves. If this went south, I was glad they'd had some time together. I know it made Shawn happy.

The ride was taking forever. If Shawn had been in the car, he'd try to instigate a road trip game. Probably I SPY. That was always his favorite. He'd pick impossible items and no one could ever guess what he'd spied. They had always been items he'd seen miles and miles ago and only he could remember them. He always won that game.

Mr. Spencer was being uncharacteristically quiet in the back seat beside me. They both hated to admit it, but he and Shawn were so much alike. They both talked all the time. They both acted impulsively. And they'd both do anything to protect the other from harm. What was that old saying, opposites attract? And I think that was why Shawn and his dad had always been at odds with each other. They were too much alike.

We drove on in silence, willing the distance to pass quickly, each of us wondering if Shawn was still alive.

* * *

**SHAWN'S POV:**

I was breathing heavily. I was cold. Every part of my body hurt. But I was alone and for the moment, I was happy. I could see outside from where I was sitting, chained in my corner. Looked to be in the middle afternoon. They'd used the cigar..a Cuban..to place small burns around my body. Down my arms…my legs…along my stomach. It hadn't been so bad. I'd managed to remain quiet. Allison had gotten angry and had demanded that I cry out, but I hadn't. She'd finally given up.

Yin had insisted that they stitch and bandage the knife wound on my side, explaining that Allison had come damn close to nicking a major organ. He'd called it an unfortunate mistake that she'd come so close. From the look she gave me, I was sure she'd come close on purpose…just to freak me out.

He'd let Allison do the stitching. Without any form of pain reliever, of course. To quote one creepy psycho, she was to use every opportunity to cause her victim pain. Even while trying to prolong their life a few more days. Those ten minutes while she clumsily sewed me up had been worse than the actual injury they were tending. She'd also insisted on cauterizing it…to prevent infection, she'd said. She'd used the Cuban cigar and I'd decided immediately afterwards that I would rather have gotten an infection.

"He only needs one kidney to survive, Master." Allison had said in her defense, while sewing the wound closed.

"Just so," Yin had admonished, "A laceration to a major organ could have prematurely killed him, ending our lessons. I will not have that happen again, Allison."

She'd only lowered her head submissively and followed him from the room. And then they'd left me alone.

I looked down and surveyed the bandage on my side, grateful to see only a small amount of dried blood coating it. Despite her inexperience, Allison must have done an okay job with the stitching.

I heard movement above my head and involuntarily felt myself inching further back into my corner. I signed, angry with myself. When I had become someone who cowers? I pushed myself up straighter, ignoring the pull of the stitches in my side. Glaring up at the door, I waited for them. Yin had promised another enlightening lesson for Allison when they returned this afternoon, even after I mentioned that she was looking kind of tired from all the studying and could probably use the rest of the day off. They'd ignored me.

The door opened and Allison stood there, looking down at me. And crap, she was alone.

She practically sauntered down those stairs, her eyes fixed on mine. I didn't blink. I stared right back at her, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing me look away.

"Back in the chains, Shawn, lover," she said, indicating the chains they used to hang me from the ceiling. My shoulders ached at the thought of being strung back up.

"Please don't." I said quietly. "Just do whatever you have planned right here."

"Can't. We need access to your entire body." Was all she offered as explanation. She reached down to unchain me and then stepped back quickly, out of my reach. She'd gotten smarter in the last few days. She reached for a small leather riding crop that was on the table near the door and gingerly slapped it against her hand a couple of times. I flinched each time it hit her skin.

I stayed where I was on the floor, willing my legs to move, but they wouldn't obey me. She brought the crop down harder against her palm and the resounding snap finally convinced my legs to cooperate.

"Stand up!" She yelled at me, apparently oblivious to the fact that I was actually TRYING to stand up. When I finally managed it, she hit me with the crop.

"OW! Damn it!" I yelled at her, trying to move away. "I was standing up!"

She hit me again, across my stomach, hitting the bandaged knife wound, causing it to bleed again. Hot trickles of blood ran down my side, disappearing beneath the waist of my jeans.

"Just stop!" I tried again, managing to avoid her next blow. I moved too slowly after that and her next strike hit me squarely across the face, blurring my vision and knocking me soundly to the floor.

"That's quite enough, my dear." Yin was suddenly there, grabbing her arm. "Let's get started with the lesson. On your feet, boy." He said to me. I shook my head, trying to clear the fuzz and got unsteadily back to my feet.

"Arms." Was all he had to say. I knew the drill. I held them out to him, watched him shackle them quickly and gasped as he pulled them back up over my head, pulling me up until my toes just barely scraped against the floor. My shoulders screamed in protest and I moaned quietly to myself.

"A whip is a perfect tool for inflicting pain." Yin was beginning his lecture. "Does very little actual damage, but done right, can produce a marvelous amount of pain. Maybe even a desired 10!"

He positioned Allison behind me. "Have at him, dear one. Beat him until he cries."

That pissed me off, despite my obvious desire not to be whipped. No WAY would I give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

"Show me Old Yeller," I told him icily. "If you want to see me cry, that film will do it. No need for the whip."

"Back." Was all he said. Completely ignored my suggestion.

Allison began the beating with a vengeance, obviously unhappy with me for some reason. This was the one exercise she could complete at her own discretion…Yin was staying out of it. She began working a pattern across my back…down down down down all the way to my waist and then back up across the already abused skin, laying hits down over previous hits. She worked methodically and she worked without breaks. For a half hour she continued to strike out at me, before suddenly appearing in front of me. I'd long since allowed my head to droop and my eyes to close, trying to get away from the agony she was causing. This was defiantly an area where she excelled.

"CRY!" She screamed in my face. "Damn it, CRY!"

I concentrated on slowing down my breathing…I was dangerously close to hyperventilating and my voice was hoarse from crying out.

"I….won't." I breathed out, shuddering.

"He is a stubborn one, my dear." Yin told her. "Make him cry or you will take his place."

Allison paled and raised the riding crop again. She brought it down across my chest…HARD…and I gasped as blinding pain lit up behind my eyes, knocking the breath right out of me. The resulting CRACK of the rib she had broken nearly made me sick and I almost willed myself to puke on her. That would have been funny, if I wasn't currently wishing I was dead.

Tears sprang from my eyes on their own, I couldn't stop them no matter how tightly I shut my eyes. One lone tear ran down my cheek.

Allison walked closer to me, pushed her hand against the broken rib and stood up on her tip toes.

"There you go." She said softly, raising herself up further and then her tongue was running over my cheek, licking away the escaping tear. She pushed against the rib harder and I screamed, causing her to giggle. She did like the screaming. She dropped back down off her toes, removed her hand from my chest and took a small step back. She was still completely invading my personal space and I snapped. I'd had enough. Without thinking…obviously without thinking…I brought my head down sharply and head butted her, causing her to stagger back. She recovered quicker than I did and hurled herself at me, punching me in the face and pushing even harder on the broken rib.

"I will kill you!" She screamed at me while I screamed in agony. Harder and harder she pushed on the rib until I was sure it would pop out of my chest. I couldn't breathe…couldn't catch me breath…I was on the verge of passing out when Yin finally grabbed her and pulled her away from me.

"Enough!" He shouted, trying to break past her rage. "You can deal with him later!"

She settled against him, breathing heavily. "Now, my dear, we will adjourn upstairs and discuss your punishment. He should never have been able inflict pain on you."

"No! Master, please!" Allison paled, pulling away from him. "It was an accident…it won't happen again."

Yin grabbed her shoulders, his fingers digging in. "Upstairs, Allison." And he flung her towards the stairs. She raced up them, never looking back, and if I had been her, I would have raced right out the front door. Yin looked angrier than I had ever seen him and it was all directed at her.

He turned his glare to me. I shrank back. Okay, maybe it wasn't all directed at her. In that instant, his masked slipped away and I truly saw Yin for the first time. Gone was his 'folksy' smile, as he'd described it. Pure, undiluted evil was staring up at me.

"You still have not learned, Mr. Spencer." He said, almost sadly. "And neither has she. The stubbornness of youth." He was in front of me suddenly and he repeated Allison's earlier move, but with more strength, pushing his hand hard against the broken rib. I was so tired, I couldn't fight any more. I screamed and cursed and pleaded with him to stop, please stop.

"Pain level, Mr. Spencer?" He asked me when he finally backed away.

"Ten." I groaned out, barely audible, but he heard and he smiled. The mask came back up.

"Good. Perhaps you are learning." And he disappeared up the stairs, after Allison, while I hung there, panting, the tears rolling down my face.

* * *

**GUS'S POV**:

Three hours later, we were nearing our destination.

"Turn down this road." McNab was saying, pointed down a dirt road to our right. "The apple stand isn't too far down."

Finally, we were almost there.

* * *

To Be Continued.

PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!


	7. Chapter 7

**SHAWN'S POV**:

I'd blacked out for awhile, after Yin had left, welcoming the relief from the pain, but loud voices woke me up. I didn't know how long I'd been out. It was pitch black outside the small basement window, so a couple of hours had passed. The arguing was getting louder. It was Yin and Allison. I could hear her complaining about me, wanting to be allowed to do more to me. I heard her mention the removal of body parts, of one particular body part especially and I felt the panic start to build.

Yin was arguing against the mutilation of my body. For the time being. There were still lessons planned for her and until she had learned everything, I was to be kept intact. I had never liked Yin more than I did at that particular moment.

Allison suddenly stormed down the stairs and came to an angry rest in front of me. I saw the evidence of Yin's punishment in the bruises and lacerations that covered her skin. Her right eye was blackening and puffy.

"Won't let you play, huh? Bummer." I taunted her, forcing a sarcastic smile to my face. "Guess you'll just have to wait."

"I don't understand why he protects you!" She spat out, the fury evident. "I should be allowed to deal with you as I please. It's my right."

I would have shrugged if I could, but I was still hanging from that damn ceiling. "I'm just the lab rat," I said, "We all do what we're told."

A light went on in her eyes. "But I don't have to do what I'm told." She said in a sing song voice. "I'm Yang now. I can do as I please."

I didn't like the look in her eyes. She was really starting to worry me. "Yin!" I yelled suddenly. "You might want to reign in your little psycho path!" Allison punched me hard in the stomach, grazing my broken rib, and all breath rushed out of my body, preventing me from calling again.

"You know, Shawn, I've never shot anyone before. All the things I've done, I've never done that. Don't you find that odd?"

I couldn't breathe yet, so I just stared at her. She produced a shot gun from somewhere and lifted it, taking aim. "Please remember to give a pain rating, on a scale of 1 to 10." A giggle escaped. She'd truly gone off the deep end.

"Allison, what do you think you are doing?" Yin roared, answering my call and coming down to investigate. "I thought I had explained the usefulness of Mr. Spencer for a few more days. You can have your way with him when we are done. Put the gun down or I will be forced to punish you even more severely."

Allison laughed and spun on him. "I'm done being punished!" She shouted angrily. "No more punishments! No more lessons! I'm ready. I'm Yang now and I don't need you anymore!"

She pulled the trigger and Yin flew back in the air, a gaping whole in his chest. Blood poured from the wound and I knew he was dead. The surprised look plastered on his, as Gus had recently put it, archaic face, was evidence of that. And in that one act, I felt all my hope dissolve. As crazy as Yin had been, he was the only thing stopping Allison from killing me. He'd been my crazy assed shield and now he as dead.

"I'd say that rates a 10 on the scale, wouldn't you Shawn?" Allison laughed. "And how appropriate that my first time shooting someone and it was him."

She turned towards me. "And to celebrate my new found promotion, I'm going to have some fun with you. To start with, I'm going to shoot you."

She leveled the gun. There was nothing I could do. I was stuck and I had no way out. I tried one last time to talk to her.

"Allison, you don't have to do this. Let me go and you can walk away. Yin's dead. You can go back to being a normal college student. Walk away and get your life back." She scoffed and I couldn't blame her. Had I really just told her she could be normal?

She took aim and fired. Blinding pain exploded in my shoulder as I spun around on my chain. When I spun back around to face her, she grinned and brought the rifle butt up quickly, connecting it soundly with my face.

Stars exploded behind my eyes as she laughed and brought the gun up once more.

* * *

**GUS'S POV**:

"A cabin?" The farmer looked confused by their question, then looked thoughtful. "Yeah, there are cabins down this road. One not to far from here…10, maybe 15 miles that way, owned by a college professor or some sort. He hasn't been here in a few years though. Used to buy apples."

"That's it!" I yelled, following Henry back to the car. "Let's go!"

Juliet and Lassiter thanked the farmer for his time, apologized for stopping so late and raced back to the car. Lassiter gunned the engine to life and took off down the road, dirt flying. "We got him now!" he said.

The miles raced by and all I could think about was how close we were to Shawn. I knew..KNEW…that he was at that cabin. I could feel it. I could only hope that we were in time to save him.

We slowed down and Lassiter turned off the overhead lights as we neared the supposed location of the cabin. It was pitch black out, here in the country, and the blackness was starting to feel oppressive in that small car.

"What's the plan?" I wanted to know.

"The plan is, Guster, that Detective O'Hara, McNab and myself handle this while you and Spencer wait in the car." Lassiter said quickly. "And I mean that. Wait in the car!"

"Please Gus." Juliet added. "We already thought you were dead once. Don't make us worry about you a second time."

I nodded, but I wasn't sure I could follow their instructions. Not with my best friend suffering at the hands of those killers. Mr. Spencer nodded as well, but I knew for a fact he wouldn't wait in the car. I thought I would just tag along with him. He had a gun, after all, but the detectives didn't know that. He was hiding it.

We crept along the road and about one mile from the cabin, Lassiter turned off the headlights. We crept along even slower, with no light but the moonlight to show us the way. It was slow going and quite frankly, I couldn't see a damn thing.

Lassiter slowed even more. "There it is." He pointed up the road, to the left. Sure enough, a cabin had come into view, lights shining through the windows. I prayed it was the right cabin, that Shawn was inside. If we had gotten this wrong, then we had no idea where he was and he was as good as lost to us. No one could survive many more days with Yin.

The car stopped. Lassiter, Juliet and McNab put on their bullet proof vests and got out of the car.

"Stay here." Lassiter told us again, emphasizing the word 'here.' And then the three of them were gone.

Henry waited until they were out of sight, removed his gun from his coat pocket and motioned for me to follow him. We left the car and crept off in the direction of the cabin, following the officers before us.

We were almost to the cabin when a gun shot rang out, breaking the silence and we all dropped to the ground. But the shot had come from the house. Moments later, another shot sounded and my heart dropped. We definitely had the right cabin, but who was shooting and who was being shot?

I followed Henry up to the house and we flattened ourselves against it. Lassiter appeared two seconds later, glowering at house.

"You're as bad as your son, Spencer. I told you to wait in the car."

"Shut up, Detective," Henry growled back, "those were gun shots and my son is inside. Let's go save him!"

"We're in!" Juliet shouted and they raced to her location. Before her was a door and it was unlocked. Either Yin had grown over confident in his hiding spot or this was another trap. Without waiting to find out which it was, we raced inside, guns drawn.

The cabin was nice. Neat…orderly. Well furnished. It reminded me of a summer vacation home. Pictures lined the walls and I knew for certain we had the right place. There was a younger version of Yang, smiling brightly. Another of Yang at the beach. Yin and Yang both, at what appeared to be a Christmas party. And of course, a picture of Yang and Shawn…the original, taken in front of the car. Someone had crossed Shawn's face out with a red X. When I looked at it more closely, it looked like blood.

Oh my god.

Juliet was by my side. "The basement is this way." She whispered. "Stay back, keep out of sight."

That was one piece of advice I was okay with. I didn't have a gun. I didn't have a vest. When this was all over, I was going to ask for a vest, at least. To carry in my car. I think I deserved that much.

Lassiter, Juliet and McNab lined up against the basement door.

"On three…" Lassiter began. "One….two…three!"

* * *

**SHAWN'S POV**:

"Someone's here to save you, Shawn," Allison was singing softly near by head. I groaned and tried to move away from her but my shoulder hurt so badly, I couldn't move. She released the chains that were holding me up and I dropped bodily to the floor, landing in a painful heap. A cry escaped, I couldn't hold it back. I was in absolute agony and for the first time since I got here, I was actually thinking death wouldn't be so bad. Anything to get away from the blinding, searing pain.

"I'm going to kill them Shawn, right in front of you. I hope it's that Juliet and maybe even your dad." She giggled. "I'll kill them and then I'll be back for you. Time for that not to quick, extremely painful death that I promised you earlier." She leaned down and kissed the top of my head. I wasn't quick enough to get away. That single act nauseated me and I actually wished I had puked on her.

Picking up her shotgun, she walked to the bottom of the stairs and took aim at the door. Sure enough, I could hear movement above us.

Please save me! I willed to the people in the rooms above.

The door crashed open suddenly and there was shooting and shouts of "FREEZE!" The voice sounded like Lassie's. I wanted to help, but I couldn't get myself up off the floor where I had fallen. My arms were numb, except for my shoulder, my legs were like jelly and I was bleeding all over the floor from Allison's early knife wounds. I was done. If I was saved…awesome. If I died, so be it. But I was done fighting, either way. I put my head down and waited for the outcome.

* * *

**GUS'S POV**:

Shots erupted from the basement as soon as Lassiter kicked down the door. We all ducked away from the opening, Lassiter and Juliet waiting for openings before leaning over the side and returning fire.

"It's Allison!" Juliet yelled. "I don't see Yin!"

"On the floor, next to her feet!" Lassiter yelled back. "Not moving!"

"Did you see Shawn?" Henry yelled to them both. The look of desperation on Juliet's face answered our question immediately. She gave a small shake of her head and turned her attention back to the basement.

"Allison Cowley! You are surrounded. Lower your weapon and walk up the stairs or we will shoot you!"

"Not if I shoot you first!" came her reply. "Or I'll just shoot Shawn again! Would you like that Shawn?"

So Shawn was alive! My heart rejoiced even as I recalled her words. _Shoot Shawn again._ Oh no.

"Lower your weapon!" Juliet shouted again.

"Jules!" Came a shout from below. "Jules! Get out of here!" Gus winced. It was Shawn, it had to be, just his voice sounded so weak…so forced. And she'd shot him….

"Time to die Shawn." Allison's sing song voice called out softly from below. "Sorry I couldn't keep my promise of a long, painful death, but these party crashers have ruined my plans. We'll just have to make due with whatever death we can get."

She was going to kill Shawn, right in front of us and we were so close to saving him. I couldn't let that happen.

"Shawn!" Juliet yelled desperately.

Another shot rang out from the basement, but it wasn't aimed at us. It was aimed at Shawn. An agonized cry followed and my heart dropped.

"Oops, sorry Shawn." Came Allison's voice once more. "I got you in the leg this time. Pity, I was aiming for your crotch! Let's try it again..."

Juliet suddenly sprung into action, dashing through the basement door while Lassiter called after her to come back. More shots rang out…two, no three…and suddenly there was silence. Lassiter swore and followed her though the door, gun ready.

"GET DOWN! GET DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW!" He was yelling. Another shot and then there was silence. I couldn't breath. Mr. Spencer grabbed my arm…I didn't know if he was steadying himself or me, and we waited.

"ALL CLEAR!" Lassie called and Henry pulled me toward the door.

The first thing I saw was Yin. He was crumpled on the floor, a large gaping hole in his chest. I wasn't sorry to see him that way. Juliet was standing over Allison, who was also covered in blood but she was alive. In fact, she was staring at me.

"I told that fool we should have killed you!" She spat out the vicious words while she glared at me.

"Yes," I agreed with her, "you should have." Blood was trickling from the corner of her mouth and her eyes closed. Juliet waited a moment, felt for a pulse and stood up.

"She's gone." She informed us. Under her breath, I'm sure I heard her say "Thank God."

What I saw next would break my heart forever. Shawn was huddled in the corner, blood pouring out of bullet wounds to his should and leg as he too, stared at me. The look on his face was of pure shock. He was looking at me as if he had just seen a ghost.

And then I remembered…I was supposed to be dead.

* * *

**SHAWN'S POV**:

He was supposed to be dead. But here he was, walking towards me. So then I must be dead.

"She killed me." I muttered. I wondered why everything still hurt if I was dead. "I knew I'd make it to you somehow, buddy." I said to ghost Gus as he knelt beside me.

"You not dead, Shawn," Ghost Gus said. "And neither am I. Not here. Not today."

I closed my eyes to block him out. This was too painful. "The injection Yin gave you. I saw you die."

Gus…apparently not Ghost Gus…shook his head. "It was just a sedative, Shawn. Yin played us. He was messing with you."

I sagged in relief. "You're not dead." Relief welled up inside me and suddenly I felt great, despite the nagging pain of my injuries. "I thought you were dead."

"SHAWN!" I tried to smile at my dad as he raced over to me. "Are you ok?" The concern was evident on his face.

Problem was, I wasn't sure if I was ok. "Not sure," I mumbled out loud. My eyesight was going fuzzy again and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. "Think I might need a doctor."

Lassiter walked over quickly. "We've got medic on the way. They should be here any moment. Yin and Allison are dead and you're safe now."

"Okey dokey." Was all I replied. I'd let Medic deal with my injuries, I'd let Lassie and Jules deal with the dead crazies…I was going to pass out. Because I wanted to.

* * *

**GUS'S POV**:

Shawn passed out. Not that I could blame him. I was having trouble not passing out just from looking at him. I wasn't sure what all had happened to him the past couple of days, but just glancing at him I saw evidence of knife wounds…and oh my god, lacerations across his back, evidence of a whip…and what were those? Cigar burns all over his body? There was an awkward lump in his chest, above his ribs and I was certain one or more were broken. He had bullet holes and the one injury I hated the most…the twin Yin/Yang symbols that were carved into his chest.

Whatever had happened here had been terrible. "We have to get these chains off his wrists." I said suddenly, just noticing them. "Before the medics get here."

Juliet went over the Allison and searched for the key. She came back moments later, holding one.

She handed it to me. "Try this one."

Luck was on our side and it worked. "Medic is here!" Lassie called from upstairs. "And backup has arrived to process the scene. Let's get Spencer to a hospital."

As Medic rushed in I found myself pushed to the back of the crowd. Shawn groaned in his sleep as the medics jostled him too roughly and suddenly Lassiter was there, threatening to shoot them if they weren't more careful. Juliet looked close to tears and she followed the stretcher out the door. Mr. Spencer just looked pissed. I was sure he would be ready to kill the pair responsible if they hadn't already been dead.

"Let's go, Gus." He gestured to the stairs. With one last look around Shawn's former prison, I followed him up the stairs. I had only seen a few things in that basement, but what I did see would haunt me for the rest of my life.

* * *

To Be Continued.


	8. Chapter 8

**SHAWN'S POV**:

I sat alone in one of the interrogation rooms at the Santa Barbara Police Department. In front of me was a blank report. The Chief had asked me to come in, if I was ready, to fill out the paperwork to close the case. I'd said sure, I could handle that, and I'd headed right down. Not that I wanted to sit by myself at the Psych office any longer.

Gus was at his regular job. Dad was fishing. Jules was working. And I'd been alone. I didn't want to be alone. So why was I sitting alone in this stupid room, staring at this stupid blank piece of paper?

I groaned softly as I shifted in the chair. I'd spent a week in the hospital after my rescue from the cabin. They'd wrapped my broken rib, re-stitched my knife wounds and patched up my bullet wounds. I had to walk with the aid of a cane for awhile, until my leg healed. The lacerations and carvings on my chest and back were healing and itched…a lot. But I was mending. I'd been out of the hospital for two weeks now and I was mending.

I was so relieved that Yin and Allison were dead. I don't think I could have coped knowing they were still out there. The things they had done to me were….unreal. I still had nightmares of Allison whispering in my ear, her hot breath describing all of the horrors she was going to inflict upon me next. I couldn't bear to be alone in my apartment. I'd been spending the night in my childhood room at my dad's house. He'd even bought me new sheets to replace the He-Man Sheets with the Yin-Yang symbol on it. I'd gotten rid of my army men. Yin or Allison had touched them and they had to go.

I heard a soft knock outside the door and looked up to find Jules standing in the doorway.

"There you are Shawn. I was looking for you."

I hung my head. "I thought I could write this." I muttered, to her or myself, I'm not sure. "When the Chief asked me to come in, I thought it would be no problem. I thought if I could just have a minute to myself, to think about the events, that I could get them down on paper." I shook my head. "But I can't. I'm reliving it all over again and I just can't."

Juliet turned quietly and closed the door behind her. She pulled up a chair next to mind and grabbed my hand. "I can't begin to imagine everything that they did to you Shawn…everything that you went through. But you are safe now. They're dead and you're safe."

"I'm sure I'll feel relief, or elation some day, maybe soon." I told her. "But right now, I just feel numb. I'm sorry, but I can't do this." I slid back my chair and got up to leave.

"You don't have to do it alone, Shawn." Juliet said softly to me. "You have me. You have Gus and you have your mom and dad. Let us help you. Let me help you." She stood up beside me and raised her head up to kiss me. I couldn't help it; I leaned into her and greedily kissed her back. Putting my arms around her, I felt a little of the desolation I had been feeling melt away.

"We have each other." I muttered against her mouth.

"Forever." Jules whispered back. "I'm so glad you came back to us."

I smiled. "And I'd rather never leave you again. The next psycho path to come to Santa Barbara will have to choose someone else to kidnap and torture."

I was trying to kid, but I know Jules saw something in my eyes when I said that. Something desperate and dark. There were wounds in my soul that wouldn't heal soon. But with Juliet's help, they would heal.

"Shawn!" Gus suddenly entered the room. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you. Oh, hello Juliet." he added awkwardly, still not used to seeing us together. We parted quickly.

"Gus, your timing is awful as always." I joked. "What's up?"

"Pancakes." Gus grinned. "As in, let's go get some."

"From Pancake House?"

"You know that's right! Best pancakes and bacon ever." I grabbed my jacket, gave one last look at the empty report, decided to tell Chief Vic I'd need awhile more, and looked at Juliet.

"Coming? Please say you'll come."

She nodded and I grinned. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

We headed out of the room and out of the department, the three of us side by side. And as I walked out into the bright sunshine of the early morning I couldn't help but feel the dark cloud that had hung over me lift. We had won. The bad guys were dead. And in that moment, I had found me report for Chief Vic.

WE DID IT. And I would add some explanation points, because it didn't feel too excessive.

THE END.

* * *

And as always, please please review. Hope you liked the story.

~SyFyDiva


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